Cobourg Loses Valuable Volunteer
Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
Cobourg councillors paid tribute to a special volunteer at Monday’s council meeting.
Duane Schermerhorn died suddenly Friday night, after taking ill while working on the Charles Pachter exhibition at the Art Gallery of Northumberland.
“He was one of the most prolific, hard-working members of the Art Gallery of Northumberland, and was eagerly awaiting the Cultural Master Plan,” Councillor Debra McCarthy said.
“Duane knew the fire drill. Duane put up exhibitions. Duane was the continuity, and he will be sorely missed.”
Schermerhorn was a well-known web designer in Cobourg, and his volunteer activities included service on the Northumberland Arts Council. He also created his own artistic pieces that occasionally found their way into AGN exhibitions.
Councillor Suzanne Seguin allowed that she hadn’t known Schermerhorn as well as McCarthy.
“But every single time I went into that gallery, he was there working on the website, working on the computers, working on programming, working on inventory, and working on the Charles Pachter exhibit,” Seguin listed.
“He died doing what he loved, giving back to this community. I know (gallery executive director) Olinda Casimiro was very emotional about losing this tremendous volunteer,” she said.
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